9 Tips to Survive a Fire In a Hopeless Situation

9 Tips to Survive a House Fire According to Firefighters If you fall victim to a house fire, the best thing you can do is keep calm and try not to panic. Easier said than done, right? Luckily, knowing what to do in this emergency situation will greatly increase your chances of surviving. Before you find out the course of action you of life. House fires can spread at a truly alarming speed. Most things around you can crumble to ashes in mere seconds. That's why you have to act as soon as you hear your fire alarm go off. 1. Prepare an escape plan in advance So as to not lose your bearings, you should always have an escape plan ready. It's even better if you write it down on paper. Try to prepare for different situations and create at least three escape routes. Describe in your plan exactly how you'll evacuate your home, who will be the leader during the evacuation process, where you'll meet up after everybody has left the house, and how you'll call for help. 2. Keep rope ladders on top floors If your house has more than one floor, it's a good idea to acquire fire escape ladders and put them in several strategic locations on top floors. This way, if the downstairs gets blocked off by a fire, you'll have another way to escape the burning house. 3. Exit your house immediately after you hear the fire alarm or notice a fire People die because instead of running for their life, they try to save all their valuables, documents, gadgets, money, and so on. Forget about all that. Your only concern should be gathering your family members and pets and leaving the house safely. 4. Doors will help you during a fire Wooden doors can provide good protection from both smoke and heat. On top of that, they can prevent a fire from spreading. An effective strategy can be escaping from one room to another and closing doors behind you. At the same time, be extremely cautious when opening a door. There may be a fire waiting for you on the other side. If you realize that the doorknob or the door itself is too hot to touch or you see smoke coming through the cracks, do not open the door. Even if everything seems alright, open every door with the utmost care to avoid unnecessary risk. This way, you'll be able to shut it right away if you spot a fire raging behind it. If you realize that the only way to leave the house is through a window, make sure the doors are shut. A draft from an open window can aggravate a fire in a matter of seconds. 5. Make an improvised respirator This may sound unexpected, but during a house fire, the fire itself isn't the main danger. What kills people much faster than flames is smoke. Smoke is a powerful irritant to your nose, throat, and eyes, and its smell is nauseating. If you inhale smoke, it can irreversibly harm your lungs. You should remember that smoke from a house fire is toxic since burning objects release harmful gases. Once you start to inhale smoke, your body stops getting enough oxygen. Depending on the heat and density of the smoke, people usually lose consciousness and die due to brain damage in no more than 5-15 minutes. That's why it's of the utmost importance to know how you protect yourself from smoke inhalation. If the situation allows, you can make a DIY gas mask that will act as a respirator. Grab a plastic bottle or container that's big enough to cover your face and cut off its bottom. After that, cut a U-shaped opening for your head in one of the sides. Don't make it too big, the mask won't fit you tightly enough, and smoke will get into your eyes and nose. Take a kitchen sponge and wet it with water. After that, push the sponge into the neck of the bottle to serve as a filtration device. The final step is to remove the lid of the bottle. The respirator isn't perfect, but it will give you some precious time to exit the house. If you don't have the necessary materials at hand, place a wet cloth or piece of clothing in such a way that it covers both your mouth and nose. Unfortunately, this method leaves much to be desired. It will buy you no more than a couple of additional minutes. But even so, these minutes may turn out to be game-changing. 6. Stay away from fabrics Clothes, curtains, bedsheets, and tablecloths pose a serious danger during a fire. They are very likely to start burning. If you have time, take off your clothes made from synthetic materials. When affected by fire, they will melt and stick to your skin, causing bad burns. Try to replace such clothing with something made from cotton or wool. If your clothes do catch fire, stop whatever you're doing, fall to the ground, and start rolling around until the fire is put out. Rolling will smother the fire and won't let it spread uncontrollably. Make sure you cover your face with your hands. This will provide you with the maximum protection. 7. What to do if you can't get out? If you are trapped and all you can do is wait for help, try to stay calm. The first thing you need to do is ward off the smoke. This will keep you safe until firefighters arrive. Hide in a room that is still untouched by fire and close the door firmly. Use cloths, rags, towels, clothes, or tape to cover all the cracks and vents around the door. Try your best to keep the smoke out. 8. Call for help if you're trapped on an upper floor. Try to get to a window that faces the street or other buildings. Take something white, a sheet or a towel, and hang it from the window sill. When the first rescuers get to your house, this will indicate your location to them as well as the fact that you need help. After you complete this task, close the window immediately. Otherwise, the fire will be drawn toward the fresh oxygen. 9. If you're not too far from the ground, try to escape through a window. If there's no other way but to use a second floor window as your escape route, search for a ledge. If there's a ledge under the window, climb onto it in such a way that you're facing the building. You'll have to hang from a second story, but at least you'll be closer to the ground. Your chances of remaining unhurt during the fall will be much higher. However, if you're trapped somewhere higher than the second floor, you better stay where you are. Close the door, take measures to prevent smoke from entering the room, cover your nose and mouth, and wait for help. 10. Take your safety seriously. More than 2,500 people die in house fires every year, and about 12,000 are injured. This means that an average of 7 people lose their lives because of home fires every day. Make sure your house is equipped with functioning smoke alarms, check them regularly, preferably once a month, and replace their batteries twice a year. Get one fire extinguisher for each floor of your house. These precautions might save your life one day. Do you know any other important things that can save your life if you get caught in a house fire? Tell us about them in the comments below! Remember to hit the like button, share this video with your friends, and join us on the Bright Side of life!